WHEN Matt Burtonwood heard that Wanderers had agreed a deal with payday lenders QuickQuid to be their new principle sponsor, he was one of the first to sign an online petition to voice his displeasure.

But, equally, when the club dropped a bombshell by reversing their decision last week, he felt compelled to reward their thinking with an unprecedented full-page thank-you in the pages of The Bolton News.

In what became a national story over the weekend, the Huddersfield-based season ticket holder took out a whole page to explain how he had came close to throwing away a family tradition of buying Wanderers’ home shirt each season on a point of principle. He wrote in an advert on page 17 of Saturday’s paper: “My birthday falls in June and often coincides with the new kit launch.

“Since the 92/93 season my grandma would always buy me the home shirt. When she passed away a few years ago I continued the tradition.

“This year, like many other fans, I had made the decision not to buy the home shirt. That decision would have taken something away from my relationship with the club and taken a tradition away from my family.

“Thanks to the chairman and board for listening to the fans and moving quickly to make things right. “Now I can buy my shirt and we can support our team with pride.

“PS Please could you ask Eddie (Davies) to buy us a 20-goal a season striker.”

Mr Burtonwood, whose family are from Bolton, is a season ticket holder in the Nat Lofthouse stand and his grandma used to work for the Bolton Evening News, as then was.

He is reluctant to court any further publicity for what he described as “a bit of fun that came from a serious place” but has passed on his congratulations to another Wanderers fan, Andy Walton, whose online petition was signed by around 4,500 supporters before the club’s U-turn last Wednesday.

He also admits that his idea to take out a full-page ad was inspired by Manchester City supporters, who responded in kind to Roberto Mancini’s public gesture of thanks in the pages of the Manchester Evening News a few weeks ago.